PlantFiles: Zebra Plant
Aphelandra squarrosa

Mine died, As did the other 5 I bought. I took the last remaining piece of stem that was rotting and stuck it in my worm bin in August. It's now January and 3 leaves tall. I don't touch it at all. It's protected in a shade house at minimum 43*


Planted this piece next to the drip hose around the end of Feb. It's doing beautifully. I'm not doing anything to it for fear of killing it.

I live in Jacksonville FL where the summers are very hot and humid and the winters are cool (some cold down to the teens and 20s) and quite dry. I've had my zebra plant for almost a year now so it's experienced my spring, summer and fall so far. I keep it as a potted plant on a table on my screened porch where it receives an hour or so of direct morning sun and then bright shade the rest of the day. The plant gets watered once a week or so, pretty much drying out between waterings and it's almost never misted and never fertilized. I have never experienced leaf drop, mites, scale or any other negatives. In the time that I've had this plant it has added 12 new leaves to it's sturdy stalk-like stem and much to my delight I now see the budding of a flower right in the top center of the plant (it's mid-November here now). I can't wait to see the bloom. What an exciting prospect when everything else is starting to fade back. I'm not sure what I'm doing right or wrong, all I know is that this easy-going pretty plant with it's dark green leaves veined in bright white seems to be quite thrilled with where it lives and how it's being treated.

I found this plant at a safeway store. It looked so unique I had to have it. I have had some trouble getting the moisture right and keep losing the big lower leaves. The leaves seem to burn right down the center stripe and then the tips. I'm not sure if this is a moisture issue or a pest issue. This plant seems to be sensitive to changes in temperature so I just keep moving it. I'm excited though because I didn't even know it bloomed. Wish me luck.

I am on the borderline of Zone 8b/9a and I've had success with growing this plant outdoors in a shady spot. It is protected by our winter freezes (surviving temperatures around 28 F) by being near a north facing wall of my garage (protected from winds in winter, and the wooden wall probably retains some heat). It blooms for me each year. Both of my Zebra plants lost most of their bottom leaves. I think the plant might benefit by being pruned back to stimulate new growth, which I will probably do next Spring. I think the Zebra Plant (Aphelandra squarrosa) makes an impressive show in a sub-tropical shade garden and can tolerate temperatures lower than the Zone 10 range specified above.

Jeremy

I bought this plant at a Trader Joe's in Ventura, California. I was impressed with its unusual blossoms and vibrant foliage. It bloomed for a long time outside my front door. I fertilized it with Alaskan fish fertilizer and it bloomed again the next year. This past winter we had the lowest temperatures we've ever had (for at least my lifetime) and the plant looked dead. I was able to remove the portions that had frozen and low and behold, leaves started to sprout again this spring....so I am awaiting those gorgeous blossoms again. What a little miracle plant!

this is a beutifull plant but cannot be over or under watered. Try watering you're zebra plant just before the soil dries out, and make sure to spray the leaves atleast once a day during growing season. Mine blooms very beutifull yellow flowers in fall and spring.

We have planted 5 and every one lost its leaves. We took them out of the ground and have them in full shade with minimum water and they seem to be doing better. Its more of a wait and see. It could be too hot down here for them.

I think the secret to this plant is mild temperatures (65f - 85f) and consistent watering. When I let the soil dry too much, the plant would shed a lot of leaves, but since I've been keeping it moist (not wet) and occasionally misting it (2 -3x week), I have lost only one or two leaves. Compare that to the 50+ new leaves and what a difference. I also have kept this plant inside as our summers tend to be dry and a little hot.

I bought a zebra plant early this Spring. I live in Tx, so I keep it indoors and it is doing well. I have it sitting by a window that gets only morning sun. I think this plant needs a cool enviroment (or a WARM only climate, Tx summers are too hot) with a small amount of sun. As the plant puts on new little leaves at the top, it sheds the bottom older ones. It puts forth pretty yellow blooms also.

I have had my plant for about a year and a half now with no problems other than initial wilting because I left it in direct sun. I have transplanted once after bloom last summer and it is now beginning to bloom again. Currently on a shady porch with morning sun. Beautiful plant even when not in bloom.

I've never had success with this plant, and I've tried many times growing it indoors. It seems very susceptible to insects and diseases. This is a pity, because they are a very handsome and they always look great at the garden center.

I recieved this plant as a Christmas gift. From the time I got it, it started loosing leaves fast. Then I realised it had mites. So I set it outside and hosed it off. I left it outside for the summer but no new leaves started coming up. Later in the fall I realised it had gotten scale when its immune system was down because of mites. So I hosed it off. I finally got rid of them and by that time this plant had been sick for a year. Somehow it still kept with me and is growing peacefully in a humid bathroom now. Now don't be afraid to buy this plants because I told you that mine got mites. I made the mistake of setting it a little to close to a infected plant. A stupid mistake. But I will never need to learn that lesson again.

This plant is not only pretty because of its white-veined, green folliage, but also for the apical inflorescence with its beautiful yellow bracts